I am excited about teaching Beginning Art again this year!  I always enjoy including art across the curriculum, but it is wonderful to have a class fully dedicated to art. Artistic expression has so many benefits aside from just being enjoyable. I love a classroom where students are happily creating. There's a special feel to a room like that. It can be a chance to relax, to give our inner selves expression, to grow our skills, and to feed our creative sides. Paired with subject matter, it allows for higher level thinking and connections to content. 

We will enjoy exploring various mediums and materials this year, as well as starting an art journal that students can continue to enjoy using once the class is over. We will use the art journal to try out new techniques as well as to create mixed media pages to which students can add inspirational sayings, words, or poems with fun lettering. Some of the areas we will explore include water color techniques, lettering, drawing skills, perspective in art, acrylic painting, and the study of specific artists and their styles and techniques, trying them out ourselves and adding our own flair. Student interest will drive some of the projects that we choose. Last year we enjoyed some tie dye at the end of the year as well as the creation of paper mache' lanterns. In all lessons, basic elements of art will be discussed and applied, adding to students' knowledge and skill. 

Supplies:

There is a ten dollar fee for each student, and each will need a mixed media art journal around 8.5 by 11 or 9 by 12. Please make sure the paper is at least 80 lb. but 90 t0 120 is better. In addition, at least two fine point sharpies and two ultra fine point sharpies are needed. A box of colored pencils can be a help and some students like to bring their own watercolor pallette for painting. These last two are optional, however. Please send the art journal asap as we will begin to use it early on in the semester, specifically on week 2.